All four of Mantle’s sons entered residential treatment programs for chemical dependency and only one ever played baseball professionally, and then only briefly. The Yankees gave Mickey Jr. a look-see at a rookie camp in 1977, but he didn’t stick. A Class A minor league career quickly flamed out as he batted a miserable .070 in his last stop with the Alexandria (Va.) Dukes. He couldn’t hit a curveball, but the worst moment came when Mickey Jr. went after a fan in the stands who had yelled at him, “Go home and tell your daddy how you’re playing.”
